News Broadcasting
BBC World lines up celebrity duo for Face to Face
MUMBAI: BBC World, the BBC’s 24-hour international news and informational channel, has announced a new list of guests on its weekly chat programme Face to Face.
Starting Saturday, 10 May 2003, the show presented by host Karan Thapar will showcase a special series of interviews with celebrity partners. This special series of Face to Face will bring viewers a chance to know some of the top names from a variety of fields such as music, dance, film, theatre and medicine.
Some of the famous partnerships who will feature in the series include music directors Jatin Lalit, actor and director Pooja and Mahesh Bhatt; author and businessman Shobhaa and Dilip De; classical dancers Radha and Raja Reddy; well-known entrepreneurs Rajan and Ritu Nanda; and the renowned sarod players Amaan – Ayaan Ali Bangash, to name a few.
A press release states that the new series will be sponsored by Oriental Insurance and can be seen on BBC World on Saturdays at 10 pm with an additional appointment to view on Sundays at 12 noon.
The new series of Face to Face begins with an
in-depth interview with the music composer duo Jatin Lalit, who have composed the music for several blockbuster Bollywood films. The interview highlights their humble beginnings and charts their path to success. With films such as Jo Jeta Wohi Sikandar, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Khamoshi and Kabhi Khushi Khabi Gham to their credit, they are known to have set the trend for a completely new genre of Hindi film music.
On Face to Face, Jatin Lalit talk about their childhood and how they came to work together, the success of their partnership and their experience of working with actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
When asked by Karan Thapar what makes a good song, Jatin said:”Melody is the main thing and in melody there has to be soul. This combination can make a song immortal and everything else falls in the right place. The singer will get inspired, the musician will get inspired by the melody and everything falls back in the right place.”
Commenting on this special series Karan Thapar said: “This new ‘partner’ series of Face to Face is a special initiative to add a fresh flavour to this popular programme. The programme brings our loyal viewers seldom seen aspects of these distinctive personalities.”
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
